Colors of the Heart
by Alacquiene
Summary: "What's it to you if I want to meet hot guys?" Aqua asked frowning. "You're not my boyfriend!" ... "But I will be," Vanitas answered. AU / VanitasAqua
1. Red

Set in an Alternate Universe.

So, this would be the result of a little challenge I made up for myself, in celebration of Valentine's Day.  
Using the colors of the rainbow as prompts, this story will have seven chapters written over seven days.  
Each chapter will have anywhere between one thousand and two thousand words.

Actually, I think I may be biting off far more than I can chew.  
But I will do my best to finish what I started.

_This is dedicated to all the hearts ever placed in my hands._

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Red~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Eight / Vanitas is Six]**

Vanitas put all his focus and energy into the task at hand. He kept telling himself he could do it. He would show those older kids that he could do it. But he could feel his whole body shaking, seeing just how high up he was and how far down he could fall. And he was sure it would hurt a lot if he fell.

He put one shaky hand forward and grasped the red bar in front of him. Then he raised one foot, felt for a foothold, and then pushed himself up. He extended his other hand and gripped the same bar as earlier. Then he raised his other foot, ready to repeat the action, when suddenly, he slipped.

What happened next was a blur to him. Somehow, he fell through the gap between the bars, his hands unable to support his weight. And the next thing he knew, he had fallen onto the earth below. He shut his eyes tight, ignoring the laughter and the pain spreading through the lower half of his body.

"Told you he couldn't do it."

"You're such a loser, Vanitas."

"Next time, maybe you should get your mommy to help you."

"Oh, wait; he doesn't have a mommy, right?"

The laughter grew louder and he shut his eyes tighter. Until…

"Leave him alone! You should know better than to pick on a kid just because he's smaller than you!"

It was a girl who spoke. Just great. Of all the people who could defend him, it would have to be a girl. And she just had to say that he was smaller than them. This was, without a doubt, the most embarrassing day of his life.

He did not dare open his eyes. It was humiliating enough to have to deal with hearing surround sound insults. He didn't want his embarrassing memory to come with high-definition images, too. He had enough horrible memories already; no need to add another vivid one.

"Are you okay?" he heard her ask. His savior, that girl, whoever she was… He wanted her to leave him alone. As far as he was concerned, she was just making it worse.

So he still kept his eyes closed, although he was sure the other kids had gone. He heard their footsteps shuffling hurriedly away after tossing just a few more choice insults at him. Their laughter, though, echoed in his head a little longer.

"Hey, they're gone now, you know," the girl said, touching him on the shoulder.

Sighing, he decided to open his eyes, but he kept his gaze to the ground. "I'm fine, go away," he muttered. He didn't need her.

"Don't be like that," she said sadly.

"Just leave me alone, okay?"

"I'm just trying to help you," she said, and he finally looked at her, scowling.

"I said-" He began, but his voice suddenly just…faded, along with the scowl on his face. In the six years of his life, he had never seen anything more beautiful than the incredibly blue eyes that were looking right at him. And they really were incredible; like stained-glass windows raised high against the sun, or a pair of perfectly polished sapphires.

She was leaning forward, with her hands on her knees. "Are you okay?" she asked again.

"What's your name?" he blurted stupidly. But he just needed to know her. He has never, ever seen her before.

She smiled warmly at him. "My name is Aqua." She held her hand out for him to take, both as a handshake and as an offer to help him up. "And you?"

"Vanitas," he answered, taking her hand..

"Nice to meet you." She sounded so sincere.

He just nodded, not really knowing what to say, as he got to his feet. Then his heart sank. She was taller than him. A lot taller. Like a whole head and a half. She was probably older, too, and his heart fell some more, all the way down to his stomach.

"Are you hurt?" She was looking him over.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. He was hurt, alright, but he could deal with it. And he didn't really want to tell her exactly what part of him was hurting.

She brushed her blue hair away from her face and asked, "What were you thinking, trying to get up there?"

She was talking about that intricate web of bright red metal bars located at the center of the playground; the perforated dome that they were currently standing beside. The kids called it Red Mountain, and everyone who's anyone managed to get to the top. Vanitas fell after getting about halfway up, and he flinched thinking that she had seen him fall. Great first impression…

It had meant so much to him to get up there, so he frowned at Aqua like she had asked the dumbest question ever. "To prove I can," he answered.

"That's not a good reason," she argued.

"Isn't that why everyone does it?" he snapped back.

"I don't know," she replied. "But I don't think anyone should do it. I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

She smiled shyly. "It's scary, being that high up."

"Oh," he said, and he looked at his feet. He kicked the dirt up a little bit. "I'm scared of heights, too."

"Really?"

He nodded.

She laughed a little and he glared at her. "Sorry," she said quickly. "It's just that everyone pretends they're not. You're the only other kid I know to admit it's scary."

"You think everyone's scared, too?"

"Yeah," she said. "My mom says if they weren't so scared, then it wouldn't be such a big deal getting up there."

He blinked a few times and she laughed again. It was okay that she laughed this time, though, Vanitas didn't mind. In fact, he thought he liked the sound of it.

"Vanitas, I have to go," she said. "But if you want, we could play tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Sure."

He stared at her disbelievingly and she seemed a little confused. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"What's the catch?"

Aqua laughed again. "Catch?"

"What are you going to ask for in return?"

"For playing?" she said with her little blue eyebrows raised.

Vanitas nodded. Aqua covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her laughter. "You think I'm going to expect something in return for playing with you?"

The boy shrugged. His brothers always asked for something in return. The other kids at the playground always expected something of him. So why shouldn't he think the same of Aqua?

"Well, how about making me your friend?" she said.

He frowned. "Is that it?"

Aqua nodded and Vanitas shrugged again. "Okay. You're my friend."

"Forever," Aqua teased.

"Fine, forever," the boy answered.

"Good. We could meet at the swings tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay."

She flashed him one more smile, then waved as she left.

He waved back. "Bye, Aqua."

He wondered for a minute if that meant he was her friend, too. Did friendship work both ways? If you told someone they could be your friend, did that mean you would be their friend, too? Or did they have to say so first? He hasn't ever made a friend before; other kids just don't like him. And he didn't like other kids much either.

Except Aqua.

She is the very first. And if she ends up being the only one - the only exception - Vanitas was pretty sure he wouldn't mind. He would even go as far as to say he would like it better that way.

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	2. Orange

Set in an Alternate Universe.

**Thank you for all the awesome Reviews!**  
Yesterday, I had no idea what I wanted to do with this story, which is why I started with Aqua and Vanitas so young.  
Today, the puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place.  
Plus, I know just where to insert the lines I used in the summary. Hahaha!

I realized, though, that seven chapters might be a bit too few for what I want to do.  
But I will make it work, somehow. I made the rules. I should stick to them. Right?

Lastly, the character _Daichi _does not belong to me.  
He belongs to _Lilac Phoenix, _and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for lending him to me.

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Orange~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Eleven / Vanitas is Nine]**

Vanitas took a deep breath, standing at the doorway of the bedroom his twin older brothers shared. "Terra," he said, "I need to borrow some money."

The brunette looked up from the computer screen to stare at his younger brother suspiciously. "What for?"

"None of your business."

"Then forget it, Vanitas," Terra answered.

Vanitas turned to his other older brother. "Zack, I need to borrow some money."

Zack stopped tossing the basketball against the wall. "If you're not going to tell me what it's for either, I'm not going to lend you money."

Vanitas scowled at them both, but decided it was hopeless. He knocked on the next bedroom door. "Xion, open up."

His younger sister opened the door a crack and sighed at him. "What is it?"

"I need to borrow some money."

"What for?"

Vanitas groaned. "Does everybody really need to ask what for?"

"Tell me, or I'm not lending you money."

Vanitas ruffled his hair in annoyance and left his sister. Why were they all so uncooperative? Why did they have to know what it was for? They should just lend him, no questions asked. He didn't need a whole lot of money, and he was just _borrowing, _he would pay them back eventually.

It was starting to look like his dad was the only hope left, but just then, down the hall, he saw Sora climb up the stairs. He smirked. "Hey, Sora."

The youngest member of the family – five years old, innocent and oblivious – grinned up at him. "Hey," he answered.

"Listen, I need to borrow some money."

"Okay," Sora replied, leading his brother to his bedroom. Vanitas allowed the smirk on his face to widen to a grin as he followed his brother. Sora crawled halfway under his bed and reached for the piggy bank that he hides there. Then, he plopped himself down on the floor, holding the piggy bank on his lap. He looked up at Vanitas. "What's the money for?"

Vanitas ran a hand down his face. Even Sora had to ask. Groaning, he decided that it would be okay to tell Sora, right? He was just a kid, what could he do with the information?

"See, this is what happened," he began.

_ "Happy Valentine's Day, Vanitas," Aqua said, excitedly handing him a card.  
__He raised his eyebrow at her. "It's orange." And it really was; a heart-shaped card in vibrant, neon orange. Across the front, in neat cursive, Aqua had written his name and the typical Happy Valentine's Day greeting. "You're giving me an orange heart."  
__She frowned a little. "I know that," she muttered.  
__"I think it's supposed to be red."  
__"I didn't have any red paper, okay?"  
__"You could've bought some."  
__Her frown deepened until she was downright glaring at him. "If you don't like it, then give it back."  
__"I didn't say I didn't like it!"  
__"So you like it?" Her expression had softened again.  
__"Yeah…" he muttered.  
__"You have a funny way of showing it."  
__He pocketed the card and they just stood there facing each other. When she still hadn't walked away or said anything after a minute, he frowned in annoyed confusion. "What?" he asked her.  
__And she suddenly looked saddened. "Oh... Nothing…" And she walked away._

"I don't get it," Sora mumbled.

"That's because you're only five," Vanitas answered.

"Okay, well tell me! I don't get what that has to do with borrowing money," he said.

Vanitas ran a hand over his face again. "Look, I just want to get Aqua something before Valentine's is over, okay?"

"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" It was not Sora who spoke. Vanitas paled at hearing Terra's voice and he whipped around to see that both of his older brothers and his sister were standing at the doorway, grinning at him.

"If you had said it was for Aqua, we would have lent you money," Zack added, smirking. "We had no idea you had that kind of sweetness in you, giving your best friend a Valentine."

Terra snickered. Then he suddenly looked thoughtful and he placed his hand on his chin. "Actually, I've been thinking about giving Aqua a Valentine, too," he said.

His twin nodded. "Yeah, me, too."

And, at that, Sora raised his hand high in the air. "Can I give her a Valentine, too?" he screamed excitedly. "Please, please, please?"

Xion smiled. "Of course, Sora, we all can!"

Vanitas stood there, gritting his teeth, clenching his fists, and quivering with rage. Sora was already happily dancing around Xion and screaming in an excited voice, asking what they were going to get and how they were going to give it to Aqua. Vanitas glared at his sister. "What do you mean _we all can_?" he roared.

Terra smirked at him. "Seeing as you're the only one who doesn't have any money, you don't really have much of a say in this."

And Vanitas probably would have attacked at least one of his siblings - possibly the bouncing Sora - if his dad did not suddenly interfere. "What's all the shouting about?" Daichi said, stepping out of his room to see all five of his children gathered. "What are you up to?"

It was Sora who answered. "Me and Terra and Zack and Xion and Vanitas are giving Aqua a Valentine! You should join us, too, dad!"

Daichi laughed and smiled at his youngest son. "Alright, sure. What are we going to get her?"

And all Vanitas could do was bang his head against the wall.

* * *

Later that evening, Aqua heard the doorbell ring and she hurried to answer it. Her eyes widened at the sight of the little boy, holding a little red box up to her. "Aqua! Happy Valentine's Day!" Sora exclaimed in his excited, high-pitched voice.

"Sora," she said as she took the box, her tone both surprised and worried. "You didn't get here by yourself, did you?"

The little boy shook his head, pointing at the driveway. And Aqua smiled, relieved, at seeing that their car was there with his dad waving at her. She waved back. Then she leaned down to give Sora a quick kiss on the nose. "Thank you, Sora, you are so sweet."

He grinned in an adorably goofy way. "Is that kiss for me?"

"Yes, of course," she said, a bit confused. "It's a thank-you-kiss for your gift."

"What about Terra's kiss?"

"Huh?"

He continued to grin at her pointing at the box, and she decided to open it. In it was a small, heart-shaped cake. Written on it, in orange frosting:

_Happy Valentine's Day, Aqua!  
__Love,  
__Uncle Daichi, Terra, Zack, Vanitas, Xion, Sora_

She smiled. "A kiss for each of them, too, then?" she asked.

Sora nodded and Aqua laughed a little. "Alright. But be sure to give them each the right kiss when you get home. Okay?" she said.

"Okay, I promise!" he said. And Aqua, smiling, leaned close to him once more.

* * *

Back home, Sora skipped happily upstairs. Vanitas was waiting impatiently for him, standing at the top landing with a slight scowl on his face. Sora stopped halfway up at seeing his brother. "Well? Did she like it?" Vanitas asked.

The little brunette nodded happily. "She gave me a kiss for each of us!" he said. "And a hug for dad."

"She what?" Vanitas demanded, eyes wide.

Sora grinned. "A kiss on the nose for me, a kiss on one cheek for Terra, on the other cheek for Zack, and…" his face scrunched up, as if trying to remember, then, "a kiss on the forehead for Xion!" He touched each spot with his fingertip as he said it.

Vanitas stared at the boy, his expression dark, but rather unreadable. "What about me?"

At that, Sora laughed and ran back down the stairs. "I'm not telling you!"

Vanitas growled. "Get back here right now, Sora, and tell me where she kissed you!"

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	3. Yellow

Set in an Alternate Universe.

**Thank you for the Reviews!  
**I am thrilled you all enjoyed the cuteness, because in this Chapter we're hitting the teen years.  
And we all know how awkward those years are. Hahaha!

I hope all the time skips aren't confusing you or anything.

The character _Mizu _does not belong to me.  
She belongs to _Lilac Phoenix. _Again, I would like to give her my sincerest thanks.

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Yellow~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Fifteen / Vanitas is Thirteen]**

It was a very yellow day, near the end of summer vacation. They were seated at a table outside a café where everything was yellow. Beside them were sunflowers in perfect bloom. The table cloth and the table decorations were in varying shades of yellow. And they had just finished eating a grand helping of strawberry cheesecake and were sharing a tall glass of banana smoothie.

Vanitas knew that Aqua associated the color yellow with happiness. It was a quirk of hers that he could never understand. So whenever she brought him something – or somewhere – that was this yellow, he was sure it was because she was trying to cheer him up or was preparing him for something bad that was about to happen. Usually, it would frustrate him having to guess what it was that she thought had or would upset him. This time, though, he knows what could possibly make her think he needed cheering up.

She was fifteen and she would be a high school freshman this coming term. They would no longer be in the same school; they would no longer see each other every day.

"So," he said, sipping the smoothie. "High school…"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I'm kind of nervous…"

He smirked. "Why?"

"It's a whole new school, new teachers, new classmates… Wouldn't you be nervous, too, if you were in my place?"

"No," he answered haughtily. And it was the truth. Those things did not faze him in the slightest. And Aqua should not let them get to her either. There was no reason for her to be nervous at all because she was the kind of person who would be immediately adored wherever you dumped her. She would make fast friends, and Vanitas could only entertain a vain hope that she would stay away from guys, at least until he was old enough to be in high school, too.

"Try not to miss me too much," he joked. But in a way that clearly said, _"Miss me as much as you can."_

She smiled at him; the kind of smile that pulled at the invisible threads connecting him to her, making him smile, too. "How could I not miss my best friend?" she said, and that lightened his heart a little.

Just then, her phone rang. Her smile became apologetic as she answered the call. "Hello?" she said. And almost immediately, a frown crossed her features.

Vanitas mirrored the frown as well. He spun his straw around in the smoothie they were sharing, trying not to look like he was eavesdropping on her conversation. But she was right across from him with the tiniest of tables between them, definitely within earshot. And his hearing was really, really sensitive when it came to Aqua - call it selective hearing. And the high-pitched, excited, girly voice on the other end was not exactly keeping the volume down, so he clearly heard…

_"I know it's last minute, but this is important! Come on, Aqua, where are you?"_

"I'm busy…"

_"But this party is the_ _party of a lifetime! You can't miss out."_

"Listen, I promised my friend I'd spend the afternoon with him."

_"Who, Vanitas? Why do you spend your time with that brat?"_

"He's not… Don't say that…"

_"Well, he is! No one likes him, and no one gets why you act like you do. If you keep spending all your time with that loser-"_

"Stop it. Seriously."

_"Fine, but Aqua, you really don't want to miss this party. A lot of really hot guys from school will be there. And I mean, high school, you know. So make up some excuse and let's go. Are you really going to choose that Vanitas over partying with the hottest guys ever?"_

"I want to go, but really, I just... Hang on a second."

Vanitas had suddenly stood up, scowling angrily.

Aqua held the phone aside, looking at him with concern. "Van, what's the matter?"

He glared at her. "Just go to your stupid party."

"What?" She stood up, too. "Van, hey…"

He ignored her, turning around to leave. "You want to go, don't you? Then go."

Her eyes narrowed and the beginnings of a frustrated frown formed on her lips. "What's the matter with you? First of all, why are you listening to a conversation that's supposed to be private? And second, since you've been listening, did you not hear that I'd rather spend the afternoon with you?"

He glared at her. "And miss out on meeting _really hot guys? _I heard what you said. You want to go. So go."

Aqua's brows creased in annoyance. "What's it to you if I want to meet hot guys? You're not my boyfriend!"

"But I will be," Vanitas said and he walked off – leaving a flustered, annoyed, and thoroughly confused Aqua behind him.

* * *

Aqua did not go to the party. She wanted to see Vanitas, but he clearly did not want to see her. She kept trying to call him all night, but he had turned his phone off. She fell into a fitful sleep, finally, just as the sun was beginning to rise. Then she woke up a few hours later at noon to the sound of her mom calling, "Oh, Aqua! Are you awake yet?"

"Yes," she called back, only because she never was the type to ignore her mom. Besides, her mom Mizu was not exactly the type you could ignore and get away with it.

Aqua stayed in bed, though, still upset about what had happened yesterday. Vanitas was angry with her. And she had no idea how to make things better.

"Aqua!" her mom chimed again, bursting into her room.

"Morning, mom," she said listlessly, reluctantly pushing herself to a sitting position.

"It's afternoon, silly," Mizu answered. She tossed a small, cardboard box onto her daughter's lap. "Vanitas dropped this off for you."

"Huh? When?"

"This morning, he came by. I told him you were still sleeping," her mom said.

"Oh..." Aqua muttered, disappointed.

"Lunch is ready, if you're hungry." She pulled Aqua into a tight hug and gave her a pat on the head. Then her face took on a more teasing expression, and she said, "You know, Aqua, you and that boy…"

Aqua scowled, blushing slightly. "Mother, please. I already know what you think, and Vanitas and I, we're not like that, okay? We're best friends, and that's all."

Her mom tittered a little, smirking knowingly, before leaving the room. "Whatever you say, darling..."

Aqua stared at what Vanitas had dropped off for her. The box was tied neatly with a yellow ribbon. She sighed, knowing for sure her mom had already opened the box - Vanitas could not tie a ribbon neatly to save his life. She wondered if the contents of the box had anything to do with her mom teasing her. But she pushed that thought aside and she hurriedly tugged the ribbon loose. Then she hastily pulled the lid off the box. In it was a small, yellow ball with a smiley face on the front. And Aqua couldn't help but laugh. On the bottom of the box was a yellow card.

_See you at the usual spot, usual time.  
I'll buy the ice cream._

She shook her head. She should have known his anger with her would not last. When did it ever? And it was so like Vanitas to assume she would immediately forgive him for snapping at her. He was absolutely right, though. As if Aqua could ever really stay mad at her arrogant, temperamental best friend, who somehow always knows just how to make her smile.

Aqua grabbed her phone from the bedside table and quickly sent him a text message. _"The blue ice cream?"_

His reply came within seconds. _"Blue? Why? Sick of yellow already?"_

_"No. You might be though. Besides, I'm happy enough," _she answered, attaching a smiley at the end.

_"Fine. Sea-salt, then," _he replied.

Aqua lay back down on the bed, her hand over her heart, and her eyes closed. Yes, she was definitely happy enough. Just the thought of seeing Vanitas later, with that goofy smirk on his face, and his shining eyes the color of molten sunshine... That was happiness.

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	4. Green

Set in an Alternate Universe.

**Thank you for sending me Reviews!  
**I have no idea how I could ever thank you enough.

I am simply ecstatic that you are enjoying the story so far, but...  
I have this nagging feeling that you all know what I'll be doing with this Chapter.  
And the next. And the next. And the last.

*ahem*  
Anyway, I think the drama begins here.  
Also, I will not reveal who I imagined Aqua's friend (the one on the phone) to be.  
However, one of your guesses was correct. Hahaha!  
I was surprised you guessed her at all; since I think she was a bit out of character, being so mean.  
But I will not delve into that. The limited length of this story will not allow it.

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Green~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Sixteen / Vanitas is Fourteen]**

_"He has the most amazing green eyes ever,"_ she gushed over the phone.

"I could not care less, Aqua," he answered, pulling lightly at the spikes of his black hair as he lay in bed. He quickly moved the phone from his right ear to the left, because they had been talking for two hours and his right side was getting numb.

He had been warned that the horrible thing about having a girl for a best friend was the endless phone calls. And the warnings proved true. Aqua was always calling him, almost nightly, especially since they no longer saw each other at school every day. But he didn't mind too much. He loved the sound of her voice. Today, though, he was a little annoyed that all she was talking about was this crush of hers.

She laughed, used to his callous remarks. _"It's true, though."_

"Sure it is, Aqua. Now can you shut up about him, because I'm not exactly thrilled to be talking about a guy."

_"Right, of course, I'm sorry..." _she said very softly. _"It's just, you know... I just... Never mind."_

Vanitas groaned. As if he could still ask her to shut up after she talks like that. So he said, "Fine, spit it out. What?"

He heard her inhale deeply, then, _"I think I'm in love with him, Van."_

Vanitas felt a lump grow in his throat. "Don't be stupid," he said, trying to sift the anger and apprehension off his voice as he spoke. "You just met him."

_"What do you mean I just met him? I've known him for a year," _she replied.

And he wanted to say, "W_ell, you've known me for eight years, and that makes one year sound really stupid." _But aloud, he said, "Yeah, well, I think it takes a lot longer than that to fall in love, Aqua." _Like it took me one second of looking into your eyes when I was six to fall in love with you. But that's different. Completely different._

She didn't answer for a minute. _"Van… I think he's in love with me, too."_

He felt his whole world grow cold. It was one thing for her to think she was in love with the guy. Vanitas could stop that, he was sure. But if the idiot of a guy was in love with her, too... Then what was stopping Aqua from... He shut his eyes for a second.

_Don't joke like that, Aqua. _"Yeah, right. What, he told you so?" he asked.

_"Well, he told me he likes me and then he asked me out," _she said. _"And I do want to go out with him."_

His heart was throbbing painfully, and he was cursing the two-year gap between them. If he had been in high school with her, this wouldn't be happening.

"Listen, Aqua," he said, trying to choose his words carefully – something he did not do often. "Guys can say things they don't mean. Trust me. I do it all the time."

_"Hmm..."_ she murmured thoughtfully. _"You do? Like when, like what?"_

Vanitas slapped his forehead. "Look, that's not important right now."

_"Oh, come on. Tell me, Van."_

_Like when I tell you I'm fine with the fact that I no longer see you everyday. _"Aqua, drop it."

_"No way,"_ she said. _"Tell me. Just one, please?"_

_Like when I say I don't want to know about your day, or your thoughts, or your feelings. _"No."

_"I tell you everything. Please, just tell me one of your little secrets."_

_Like when I say I don't care about you. Because I do. I care about you so much, it would probably scare you. _"Aqua, if you ask one more time, I am going to hang up. Can we just go back to you talking about that guy?"

_"I thought... you didn't want me to talk about him anymore..."_

"I can change my mind," he muttered. "Look, okay, I'm just saying. He might not like you as much as you think he does."

There was a brief pause. _"Are you telling me I shouldn't…go out with him?" _she asked.

He found difficulty interpreting the cadence of her tone. It was as if she was hoping for a certain answer, but she was afraid that it was not the one he was going to give. And for a moment, he almost regretted the day he agreed to be her best friend. The part of him that was desperately in love with her wanted to shout, _"Yeah, don't go out with him! Go out with me!" _Yes, he would be one jealousy-prone, selfish, possessive boyfriend, if ever.

But he was not her boyfriend. He was her closest, most trusted friend. And the part of him that was her best friend, the one who would warn her but would be willing to let her make her own mistakes, and would be ready to face the consequences with her afterwards, said…

"No, you can, if you _really_ want to. Just be careful."

_"Sometimes, you talk as if you're much older than you really are," _she answered.

_If only I really was older. _He sighed. "Only with you, Aqua, because you can be such an idiot."

She laughed again and the sound of it made him smirk. _"Hey, Van, I have to go. I'm going to call him."_

Vanitas bit down the jealousy that clawed at his throat. "Yeah, okay. What's his name again?"

_"Axel, why?"_

"Nothing," he said. "Bye, Aqua." And he hung up.

Axel. Vanitas didn't know anything about that guy. He hurriedly leapt out of bed and headed to his older brothers' room. The twins were playing Command Board; a silly board game they invented. It was too complicated - and far too colorful - in his opinion, and he never bothered to learn how to play. Besides, board games are so last century.

"Guys, I have a question."

"Shoot," Zack answered without looking up from the game as he bounced the dice in his hand.

"You know a guy named Axel?"

Both boys turned to look at their younger brother, their expressions carefully controlled. "You mean Axel, from our school? The red-head, tall guy? The step brother of Roxas and Ventus?" Zack said.

"Roxas and Ventus?" Vanitas asked.

Terra sighed. "Sora's best friends? Seriously, Vanitas, those two are here almost every afternoon and you still forget who they are?"

"Oh, right, the blonde twins…" Vanitas mumbled. It wasn't like he spent much time around Sora and friends. In fact, he doesn't spend any time with them at all. He spent most of his indoor time in his room, and his outdoor time was spent exclusively with Aqua. Yeah, he didn't have much of a social life, but that suited him. If only Aqua followed his example, but no. She was too friendly for her own good. Then again, if she wasn't so friendly, he wouldn't have become her friend at all.

Vanitas ruffled his hair, bringing his thoughts back to the beginning, remembering that he had a question. "They're Axel's brothers?" he asked.

Zack and Terra nodded.

"So why are you asking about Axel?" Terra questioned.

But before Vanitas could answer, Zack spoke up. "Oh, I know. It's because Axel is dating Aqua."

Vanitas felt the color drain from his face. "He's _already_ dating her?"

Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Shouldn't you know? You're her best friend, right? Wouldn't she tell you?"

Those questions annoyed Vanitas, but he fought that down. Zack went on, "All I know is, she's been his prospect for the past, what, year? Come on, Vanitas, you can't be that blind to the fact that Aqua has it going on. Even seniors like Axel can't resist that. I can't believe she hasn't dated anyone at all until now."

"Don't talk about her like that," Vanitas hissed.

"I'm just saying," Zack said defensively, grinning. "Actually, if you weren't our brother or she wasn't your best friend…"

"…Zack and I would definitely want to try our luck with her, too." Terra finished for his brother, grinning as well.

"Shut up!" Vanitas yelled. "She's too good for either of you losers."

The twins laughed. "You're not any better. You've known her for so long, you've liked her for how many years, and what do you have to show for it?" Terra asked.

If there was anything within reach that he could throw at them, it would have soared through the air by now.

"But anyway, it's not like we're going to do anything. You _are _unfortunately our brother," Zack concluded, his expression becoming serious. "You like her. We can respect that. Just so you know, though, either of us would have been better for her than Axel..."

"What do you mean by that?" Vanitas demanded.

Terra sighed and shook his head. "What Zack means is that Axel's record isn't exactly clean."

And Vanitas felt a part of him implode. He had allowed Aqua to date a guy who would just end up hurting her.

Then as if Terra could read his thoughts, he suddenly said, "But whatever you do, Vanitas, do not pick a fight with Axel. He will beat you to a pulp. And don't go turning into a green-eyed monster, or Aqua will hate you."

"What, I'm supposed to just watch and do nothing while he hurts her?"

"We don't know if he will hurt her," Terra answered, his tone starting to sound a little impatient. "The only thing you can do right now is be there for her, no matter what. You're her best friend. If this doesn't work out, she will need you more than ever."

"Try not to lose what you already have, okay?" Zack added.

"Yeah, fine," Vanitas replied as he stalked off and headed back to the solitude of his bedroom. _If anyone's a green-eyed _monster_, it's Axel._ _If he hurts Aqua..._

He had no idea how to finish that thought. What would he do if that happened? What _could _he do? He didn't know the first thing about fixing broken hearts. He didn't even know how to deal with his own, so what could he possibly do for Aqua...?

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	5. Blue

Set in an Alternate Universe.

**Thank you for Reviewing!  
**

This Chapter was extremely difficult to write but I am not sure why.

And writing this made me wish it was raining. Hahaha!  
Here where I live, there are times when it rains virtually nonstop for days.  
I love those days (unless, you know, it floods, which also happens a lot).  
So, yeah, rain was something I was sure I was going to include somehow in this story.  
I just didn't think I would use it this way.

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Blue~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Seventeen / Vanitas is Fifteen}**

Vanitas sat in his bedroom, looking out the window and watching raindrops crash against the glass. He hated the rain. He hated it so much that he never steps out if it was raining. It was a good thing he had the intellect to pull off being absent from school for three days and still not fall behind in class.

He drummed his fingers quickly against the window pane, as if to mimic the rapid pitter-patter of the raindrops. The sound took him to another time and place. In his head he could hear the crash of thunder, his mind's eye squinting against flashes of lightning. His skin could almost feel the biting, wet cold as if he was truly running through the rainstorm, his little feet lost in the flood-like puddles.

_"Mommy, wait, don't go!"_

He shut his eyes tight.

He knows his dad thinks he doesn't remember, because he was only four years old when it happened and he never talks about it. He once overheard the doctors say the trauma might have just left a permanent imprint, even if he can no longer recall the event that actually caused it. But he remembers, alright.

He remembers waking up in the middle of the night to find his mom – with suitcases in hand – just about to step through the front doors. He had begged her to take him with her, and she had refused. He had asked when she would come back, she didn't answer.

She walked out the door and he stood there for who knows how long. He didn't want her to go. He didn't understand why she had to leave. And the next thing he knew, he was out in the streets, braving the harshest rainstorm in the history of his life.

And he was cold, lost, and alone for so long. He later learned that his dad did not realize he was missing until a day after he left, thinking his mom had taken him with her. He was not sure how many days went by after that before they finally found him. All he knew is that he spent what seemed an eternity with nothing but rain and heartache.

Even now, years later, even though he knows he should grow up and get over it, it just wasn't that easy.

"Van?"

He turned around to see Aqua, lying on her stomach on his bed.

She tilted her head slightly to one side, her expression concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, smirking at her. He hated rainy days, but they were his favorite days, too. Rainy days were his blue days, for more than one reason. Yes, it was blue in the sense that it caused him sadness, but it was also blue because whenever the rains were strong, like it was today, Aqua spends the night at his house. And her presence soothed him, just like the color blue should.

She was like his _therapy_ – or at least that was what his dad, Daichi, calls it. And Aqua knows that, too, even if she has no idea what his affliction was exactly. He wasn't ready to tell her. She just knows that whenever the weather was harsh, he feels better with her around. And what were best friends for, right?

Most of the time, if the rain went on through the night, she would stay awake with him and they would talk about senseless things. She would lie on his bed, and he would be on the floor, and they would just stare up at the ceiling and ramble on and on about nothing. He was looking forward to that. She had been spending so much time with Axel – her _boyfriend _– lately that he just missed her so terribly, even if he would never admit it.

Aqua rolled over on his bed and pulled one of his pillows to her chest. She lay there in silence for a long while, just holding tightly onto that pillow. Then, she mumbled, "Vanitas…"

And he suddenly felt a terrible sense of foreboding. Something was off about the tone of her voice.

"What?" he said, a little too sharply, but he was feeling tense.

"I can't stay tonight…"

"What?" he said again, incredulous and angry this time. "Why not?"

"I promised Axel that I would…"

He didn't hear the rest of what she said. None of it was important. As soon as he heard _Axel, _he was simply too furious to pay attention. And there were many things he wanted to say.

_"It's always about Axel."  
__"We haven't had a decent day together ever since you got together with him!"  
__"Why don't you just go live with Axel?"  
__"So what's the point in being best friends?"  
__"You've been here for hours and you only tell me now?"  
__"We haven't even talked, or done anything!"  
__"Is that why you were so quiet?"  
__"Is that why you're wearing purple today?"_

His eyes narrowed at the last thought. She was dressed in a lilac sweatshirt. That was _their _color.

"Van?" she was calling him. "Is everything okay?"

"No," he answered.

Her expression became apologetic. "I'm sorry…"

And he was trying to decide what to tell her but there was a knock on his door. Or the wall by his door, rather, because his door was open. Standing there was Roxas. Or Ventus. Vanitas could never tell the two apart and honestly he did not care. Especially right now.

"Aqua, Axel is here to pick us up," the blonde said. "He says we should hurry, before the rain gets worse."

Vanitas watched as Aqua made her way off his bed and towards him. She embraced him quickly. "I'll make it up to you, okay?" she said.

He did not answer and she left with Ventus. Or Roxas. What did it matter? Aqua was gone. She was going to meet with Axel and spend the night with him. Vanitas clenched his fists.

* * *

The storm raged through the night as Vanitas lay wide awake in bed. It seemed the sky itself was crashing down on earth. In the back of his mind, he knows there is a possibility that he was just imagining it to be so strong. His dad told him many times before that he was just scared, and that the rain is not really as bad as he thinks it is. But he was convinced it is bad, especially tonight.

It was the first rainy night in years that Aqua was not with him. He buried his face in the pillow she had been hugging earlier – her scent was still in it. And all he could do was pretend Aqua was with him, but that was far from good enough. He tried to fight back his anger with her, but it was difficult. She was at fault this time. She had chosen Axel over him, at a time when he really needed her.

He growled into the pillow and fueled his hatred for Axel. Though he was conflicted about that, too. He should be glad that after all the time that had passed, Axel still had not hurt Aqua. But Axel was taking her away from him. Vanitas knew he was slowly losing the person that mattered most to him; the one person he had stupidly allowed himself to get attached to, the one person he could never bear to lose...

He buried his face further into the pillow as thunder resounded around him, worsening his fears for both the past and the future.

And he was not sure what scared him more. The memory that made the rain so terrible or the thought of a future filled with many rainy nights without Aqua…

And today – a day that should have been perfectly blue – was suddenly completely black.

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	6. Indigo

Set in an Alternate Universe.

Whew, I thought I was going to exceed my word count limit with this one.  
Hahaha!  
**Thank you for the Reviews!**  
The story is almost finished. Maybe then I can stop writing VanitasAqua.

Oh, and I realized why I had trouble writing the previous Chapter.  
I didn't like what I made Aqua do. Took a Review for me to realize that. Hahaha!

The color Indigo was so hard to stuff in here.  
I bet if I had made seven totally unrelated one shots, my life would be far simpler.  
But, no... I had to do the insane thing and try to connect them.  
And I still have no idea how I will pull off the color Violet.

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Indigo~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Eighteen / Vanitas is Sixteen]**

Vanitas flinched just as a loud peal of thunder roared outside. He hasn't left the house in four days, thanks to the incessant rains. The sky outside was painted murky gray and deep indigo, an ominous combination. But that was the lesser of his two concerns at the moment.

He hasn't spoken to Aqua at all in all that time. She would not answer his calls for some reason. She hasn't come over once, which was very strange.

He left his bedroom and trudged listlessly through the house; bored, frustrated, confused. Why was she ignoring his calls? Why was she avoiding him? He hasn't done anything wrong, not that he could remember anyway. And Aqua never – ever – holds a grudge against anything. If he had hurt her or offended her somehow, she would have said so, and she would have forgiven him.

He even tried calling her home phone, only to have her mom answer and make up excuses about why Aqua could not speak to him at the moment. Why was Aqua doing all this?

He tugged at the spikes of his black hair, frowning, as he walked back and forth across the hall. He punched a random area of the wall, gritting his teeth. "Damn it, Aqua, why are you ignoring me?" he shouted.

Suddenly, the surface his fist was on fell back, and he realized he had punched a door. Xion stood at the now-open doorway, staring at him. "Please, Vanitas, try not to break my door."

He ignored her and turned to leave, but she said, "Aqua is ignoring you?" He stopped, debating whether this was a topic he wanted to discuss with his younger sister.

"Listen, Vanitas, she'll come around," Xion said. "Just give her time."

"Come around?" Vanitas asked, spinning to look at her. "What are you talking about, Xion?"

"If it happened to me, I'd be crushed, too."

Vanitas felt annoyance fill his chest, like it always did when he asks a question but doesn't get an answer. He breathed deeply. It would not do to raise his voice at his sister; his dad would punish him. And he really didn't need to be grounded right now; the rains had already kept him indoors long enough. And his allowance was already so low it could hardly pay for lunch at school. So he said, calmly, "What do you mean?"

Xion blinked. "You don't know?"

"Could you just tell me?" he hissed, trying to keep his temper down.

"She and Axel…They sort of broke up."

The air around him grew hot and stale. "What? When? How do you know that?" Or, rather, how did she find out about that before he did?

"Uhm, I'm not sure when," she answered. "Roxas just told me."

"Why would Roxas tell you?"

Xion sighed. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because we're dating and he wanted it off his chest?"

"You're dating?" Vanitas said. "Xion, you're only fourteen."

"So?"

"And he's what, ten?"

"Twelve."

And something clicked. "You're two years apart."

"Yes." Xion was now confused.

Then something else clicked, too. "Hold on… What do you mean Aqua and Axel _sort of _broke up?"

"You can ask Roxas about it, if you want. He can explain it better." And she stepped aside to let him into her room.

It was only then that Vanitas realized that Sora, Roxas, and Ventus were all in her room, leaning over her laptop, watching Sora play some game.

"Roxas," Xion said, "could you please explain the thing about Aqua and Axel to Vanitas?"

One of the twins looked up. "What, why?"

"Just tell me already!" Vanitas almost shouted.

At the volume and tone of his voice, even Sora and Ventus suddenly began paying attention. Roxas frowned and said softly. "Axel decided to date someone else…"

And Vanitas could barely suppress his rage.

* * *

Aqua sat on her living room couch, hugging her knees to her chest with one hand. In her other hand was her phone. She had been trying to call Axel, but she could never muster the strength to press that little green button.

There was a sudden rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning outside. She glanced out the window, noting that the sky was a darkened shade of bluish violet. Deep indigo… _Their _color, shadowed until it was almost black.

And when she looked back at her phone, she realized she had put in a different number.

_Vanitas._

She hoped he was doing alright, knowing that he hated the rain. She should be with him. She always was when the weather was this bad, but she just couldn't bring herself to face him.

Yes, she wanted to talk to him. And he had been trying to call her. She had so many opportunities to tell him what happened, to find comfort in him like she should. He was her best friend. It had always been so easy to confide in him. But right now, she just had no idea what she would say to him. And she didn't know why.

She sighed, pressing her forehead against her knees and dropping her phone onto the couch, just beside her. The tears did not come this time. Her eyes had run dry. Her heart, though, was still bleeding and she wished she knew how to make it stop.

Her thoughts were broken by the sudden chime of the doorbell. Whoever it was pressed it five times in rapid succession. And it would have been annoying on a normal day, but it was excusable this time; she probably would not have heard it over the clamor of the storm if it had been pressed just once. Aqua pushed herself to her feet and answered the door. She gasped.

"Vanitas!"

He was shivering, soaked through with rainwater.

"What are you doing here? It's…raining…"

"I know, don't remind me," he muttered. "Are you just going to keep me out here, or what?"

She pulled him in and shut the door behind him. "Wait, just one minute," she said as she hurriedly ran up the stairs. She returned a moment later with towels in hand. She wrapped him up warmly and led him to the couch, and he sank into it gratefully.

Aqua used another towel to dry his hair, frowning the entire time. "What were you thinking, coming here?"

He glared at her. "Do you really not know the answer to that?"

She bit her lip, sitting down beside him and pulling him into an embrace so that he would feel warmer. About a second later, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs accompanied by a voice, asking, "Who was at the door, Aqua?"

"It's just Vanitas, mom," she answered back, but her mom had already come down. Mizu had clearly just stepped out of the bathroom, with her hair bundled up in a towel.

She looked a bit surprised at first at seeing the two wrapped up in each other's arms on the couch. Then she smirked. "Well, I'll leave you two alone, then…"

Aqua blushed a little. "Mom, I'm just…"

"Oh, no need to explain, dear," she said, her smirk wide as she hastily made her way up the stairs.

Aqua shook her head to rid her cheeks of the blush. Then she sadly sighed a little and she released Vanitas from her embrace. "Van… I…"

"Tell me what happened," he demanded, though his voice was strangely soft. And Aqua found herself nestling against him.

Then she told him everything; how Axel just suddenly told her they were over, how she found out it was because he had chosen someone else, and how she learned that he had been seeing that someone else for months now… She told Vanitas how she feels so stupid and blind not to have known, not to have seen the signs, not to have listened to any of the warnings…

"Enough," Vanitas finally said. "Who is this girl, anyway?"

"Larxene…" Aqua muttered.

Vanitas snorted. "She was a senior at our school last year, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Aqua asked, looking up at him with a frown.

"Well, I see why he picked her over you," Vanitas answered, laughing. "She's perfect for him."

"Van," she said, leaning away from him, "I thought you came here to make me feel better."

He frowned. "No. I came here to tell you how stupid you're being, ignoring me and sulking over something like this. You and Axel were never meant to be. I'm glad he dumped you."

Aqua almost slapped him. "That's all you came here to say?"

"No, I'm not finished," he said. "Sometimes, I have to explain everything to you because you are such a girl and girls are so good at shooting themselves down. So pay attention."

She took a deep breath, her brows creased. "Fine. What else do you have to say?"

"Before I start, you better not react because I'll be insinuating that you're a prize. Actually, sometimes you should look at yourself like one; it's good for your ego."

"Vanitas…"

"Just listen," he said sharply, and she quieted. "Getting Larxene is like getting told you have the fastest time in one lap of the race, and that's great. Getting you, Aqua, is winning the race. You're the finish line. You're the girl that a guy should bring home and keep forever. And you're stupid for letting Axel have you when he didn't even work for it."

Aqua opened her mouth to speak but Vanitas shushed her.

"I'm not done," he said. "Unless you believe me and actually get all that in your head, you're going to keep making mistakes. You'll keep going out with guys who aren't good enough for you, hurting yourself over nothing, and thinking so many other girls out there are better than you when, really, you're better than them. And there aren't a lot of guys who can commit to the time and effort it takes to actually win the damned race. Axel is one such guy, and that makes him an idiot. Got it?"

Aqua wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. So she sighed and asked him, "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

"Well, yeah. You think I want to step out in that rain again?"

She managed a smile. "I'll fix up some blankets for you in my room. Okay?"

"Okay," he said. "I guess I should call my dad and tell him where I am."

"Yeah," she agreed as she got up from the couch. And without another word, she headed to her room. Once she was there, she stood alone in the dark, just leaning against the closed door. Everything he said settled heavily in her, and she found that her eyes still had a few more tears to cry. Her heart, though, had stopped bleeding...

* * *

**Thank You**

_~Alacquiene~_


	7. Violet

Set in an Alternate Universe.

And with this Chapter, the story is complete!  
**Thank you for all the Reviews!**

I need to explain something about this Chapter.  
_It has exactly two thousand words._  
I had to edit it a lot because, at first, it exceeded the limit. Hahaha!  
The color Violet; I was supposed to tie its explanation in with the other six colors, what with it being the final color of the Rainbow.  
And thus, signifying an end. But due to the word count, I had to scrap that.  
Along with many other lines, especially in the conversations.  
But I managed to keep everything that was important to the storyline, I think.

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

**DISCLAIMER **[I do not own Kingdom Hearts] **DISCLAIMER**

* * *

**COLORS OF THE HEART  
~Violet~**

_Where the storm meets the sun, you stand._

* * *

**[Aqua is Nineteen / Vanitas is Seventeen]**

Vanitas watched Roxas stuff his face with popcorn as he sat on the couch in the living room. He and Xion were having a movie marathon of something that Vanitas really didn't care to know about. At the moment, Xion was in the bathroom. And this would be the only time Vanitas could talk to Roxas alone.

"Roxas," he said.

"Oh, hey, Vanitas," Roxas answered, only just realizing that Vanitas was standing there.

"I have to ask," Vanitas muttered. "How did you do it?"

"Huh? Do what?"

"You and Xion," Vanitas replied, his voice very quiet. It was not exactly a topic he wanted to discuss, especially with a boy who was four years younger than him. It had taken him several months to even begin swallowing his pride enough to consider the idea.

Roxas stared at him for a moment. "You mean, how did I get her to go out with me?"

Vanitas nodded once.

"I told her how I felt," Roxas said.

Vanitas scowled at the blonde. "What?"

"What do you mean _what? _I told her I liked her," Roxas clarified.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much," Roxas replied. "I told her I've always liked her, but that I thought she liked Ven better. She said that wasn't true. And then it took a while, but she finally agreed to, you know, at least try, and now…" Roxas smiled. "Now, we're this."

Just then, Xion came back and set herself down on the couch. Roxas draped his arm across her shoulders, and Vanitas frowned pensively. Roxas had been able to achieve what he could not. And Roxas wouldn't have to worry about Xion going to high school and meeting really hot guys, because she already belonged to him. And there wouldn't be an Axel for Xion, because Roxas was already there to prevent it, to protect her. And when Xion goes to college…

Vanitas pulled out his phone and dialed Aqua's number.

* * *

He sat at their usual spot, waiting for her. Sure, he had to shoo some kids away, but this afternoon was very important. And so he was seated on one of the swings at the playground, and he saved the one next to him for when Aqua arrives.

This had been their spot ever since he was six. This was where they played the day after they met, this was where they got over their fear of heights, and this was where they loved to go even when they were already years older than the oldest kids in the playground. And, hopefully, what he was about to do today would only make the place more meaningful.

"Hey, Van," Aqua greeted, and he suddenly stood up. He did not see her coming, having been so caught up in his thoughts.

She looked at him oddly, an awkward smile on her lips. "Why are you getting up?" she asked. "Are we…going somewhere else?"

Vanitas swallowed the lump in his throat. "No," he said. "Sit down."

So they both settled down on their usual swings and began to rock slowly back and forth. He looked at her for a minute and felt a tiny sliver of annoyance at seeing that she was wearing a violet blouse. She rarely wore any other color in the days when she was still dating Axel. So it reminded him heavily of those days. It was a color that he had already strongly associated with feelings of anger and hate.

She broke through his thoughts, saying, "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Uhm…" he mumbled, trying to shove the color and the annoyance out of his mind. "So… College, huh?"

She smiled a little. "I know… I'm kind of nervous. It's a whole new school, new teachers, new classmates…"

He smirked. "You said the exact same thing just before high school."

"I did?" she asked.

"Yeah…"

"Well, this time, I'll be so much farther from you…"

The lump grew in his throat again. "I know," he said. "I'm kind of nervous, too…"

They fell silent and Aqua kicked just a little harder against the ground, closing her eyes as she swung back and forth. Vanitas watched her for all of three seconds before grabbing the chain of her swing and pulling her to a stop. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a small frown. "What's the matter, Van?"

"I love you."

For a moment, all they could hear were the happy laughter of children, the sounds of little feet brushing against dirt and grass, the breath of the wind and the leaves rustling with it. And, of course, their wildly beating hearts. And if either of them were breathing, they would probably hear that, too.

At the same time, they looked away from each other and stared awkwardly at their feet. "…what?" Vanitas heard Aqua mumble, very softly.

"I love you," he said again.

He looked at her. She was still gazing downwards. Her head was bowed a little and her short blue hair fell over the side of her face. All he could see were her lips, parted very slightly. She had her hand over her heart and he wondered if he should take that as a good sign or not.

"Aqua?" he asked, her lack of response beginning to hurt him a little.

"…I thought you might."

"What?"

"I said I thought you might be in love with me." He felt that tiny sliver of annoyance resurface. She had been thinking that? Then why didn't she say anything? But then she continued, "Or… Actually, I hoped you would be…"

And the annoyance suddenly turned to guilt. "You've been hoping for this?"

"Yes…"

"Why? For how long?"

"Well, there were a lot of times when I thought you were hinting at it," Aqua said as she blushed. "I think it started when I gave you that orange card for Valentine's, the one you complained about? You were nine, I think."

He remembers, of course. He still has that orange heart. So he nodded.

"When Sora brought me a cake later that day, I gave him all those kisses," she said. "And when he asked me where yours was, I touched his lips. I told him I was going to give it to you myself someday, if you would ever want it. And he said he was sure you would, because giving me a Valentine was your idea. Did he ever tell you where your kiss was supposed to be?"

Vanitas gritted his teeth. He tried to wrestle that answer out of Sora for years. The boy simply would not budge. "No…"

Aqua smiled. "He's a very good secret keeper."

She laughed for a while, and he did, too, just because her laughter was contagious.

"And there was also the summer before I started high school," she continued. "You said you were going to be my boyfriend someday. I hoped you meant it, but after a while you just… I thought maybe I was just assuming too much of you."

Vanitas said nothing, not really knowing how to respond, and she went on. "Also, the night before I started dating Axel, you and I were on the phone. You told me… Well, actually, you didn't tell me anything, But a part of me was hoping that maybe the reason you didn't want me talking about Axel, or the reason why you didn't want me to go out with him, or when you said that sometimes you would say things you don't mean… I thought maybe the reason behind all that was because you had feelings for me… But I eventually thought that was just me and wishful thinking."

She smiled weakly. "You know, you tell me I'm an idiot all the time. Now, I actually feel like one."

He shook his head, remorse and regret building up inside him. "No, I'm the idiot. I could have told you the truth sooner…"

She stared at him for a moment, just letting his confession sink in, and then she asked tentatively, "How long have you loved me…?"

He smirked. "Remember the day we met? You were eight." He pointed towards a dome of red bars that some kids were currently trying to scale. Red Mountain, they used to call it. He didn't know if the kids still called it that now. "I opened my eyes and found yours. From that moment, I never had to look anywhere else."

Aqua blushed again and, once more, they were quiet. They had all those years, all those opportunities…

"So…" Aqua murmured after a while, though she was unsure what to say.

"I've wanted this for a long time," Vanitas answered, his tone impatient. "I know I went about it the wrong way, but if you could do me just one favor… Say yes or no, Aqua.

"Yes." Without hesitation.

And Vanitas could have touched the sky. Aqua smiled at him and he smirked, in the same arrogant way he always does. "You're not going to change your mind, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Of course not," she said. "Why would I?"

"Because I have some rules."

Aqua frowned. "Rules?"

"Yeah, and you better not break any of them."

She rolled her eyes. "I suppose this would be the catch?" she asked.

It took him a second to understand what she meant, but then he grinned when he understood. "You could say that," he answered.

"Alright then. Let's hear them," she said, giving him her undivided attention.

"First of all, no pet name nonsense. You will call me Vanitas, or Van. And I will call you Aqua."

She smiled awkwardly. "Sure…"

"Next, you can't hold my hand unless I hold yours first. Don't hug me; I'll hug you, especially when we're outside."

She nodded. She expected that.

"And no kissing in public, unless we can go at it for _at least _five minutes, because anything less than that just won't cut it for me."

She laughed a little.

"And you're not allowed to wear high heels," he said seriously.

"What, why not?"

"That question brings me to the next rule," he said, looking at her with an exasperated expression. "Stop asking me questions you already know the answer to."

She laughed again. "Okay, sorry. I don't like them much anyway. Next?"

"Do not ever change the way you look, because this," he gestured at her, "is perfect."

Her face flushed and she nodded.

"And, then there are all the usual rules. No lying, no cheating, no walking out or hanging up, no secrets. Got it?"

"Yes, I got it," she answered. "Is that all?"

He paused for a moment, then, "I never want to see you wear violet again. That color, its significance to you has long reached an end, and I have always hated it."

Aqua smiled. "Anything you say, Van."

And Vanitas was satisfied. They sat quietly for a while, just swinging back and forth, absorbing the moment.

Vanitas was ecstatic. And it had been so simple; he regretted not having done it earlier. He could have saved himself all the emotional turmoil. And he could have protected her from all that she had to go through. His pride stung a little, because he had to learn from a thirteen-year-old boy, but that really didn't matter much.

Aqua was his. Officially. That's what mattered.

He brought his swing to a stop so he could look at her. She was gazing skyward, smiling. And he smirked. It had taken him years to get to this point – to win that stupid race – but it was worth it. And all the other guys in the universe could eat his dust because he was never going to let Aqua go. She was his forever.

She brought her swing to a stop, too. And then she turned in his direction, but her eyes were shyly turned downwards, slightly to one side.

"So, Vanitas…" she said softly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Aqua was blushing. "Do we have five minutes?"

* * *

**END**

**Thank You**  
I hope I managed to fill your seven days with brilliant colors.

Regarding the ending, yes, they are in a playground, surrounded by children.  
No, Aqua is not that indecent. I do, however, like writing her as a tease. Sometimes. Hahaha!

Special Thanks  
1stLgirlZ / Achalys / Aqua Fan / auara351  
Delirious Doll / Demyx'sBFF  
eolhcsullivan452 / korovee  
LightBloom / Lilac Phoenix / Lionwings  
MickeyGirl / Ni-Chan9 / Nightcrane Storm / retroactive  
Skitty 2004 / Starry Requiem / Symbermine  
WishingDreamer5

_~Alacquiene~_


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